]]>SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants have another hole to fill in their rotation.

They finally conceded that Jake Peavy’s lower back issue was far too significant to battle through, placing the right-hander on the 15-day disabled list prior to Saturday’s ring ceremony.

The club recalled catcher Andrew Susac from Triple-A Sacramento, deciding the extra position player was more important than keeping a 13th pitcher.
No decision has been made on Peavy’s replacement in the rotation, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. With a day off Monday, it’s likely that Chris Heston will be moved up to start on regular rest in Peavy’s place on Thursday in the homestand finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But that would only delay the need for a No.5 starter by two days.

Bochy didn’t even want to get into the potential candidates, although Ryan Vogelsong and Yusmeiro Petit are the obvious ones. Matt Cain still hasn’t even begun playing catch yet, almost two weeks after he was diagnosed with a strained flexor tendon in his forearm. So he’s not a candidate.

Peavy underwent an MRI that showed inflammation in the SI join in his left hip and back area. He also continues to have muscle spasms. Peavy said surgery wasn’t mentioned as a course of treatment, although all the doctors hadn’t reviewed the MRI yet.

Bochy said he expected Peavy to return in three weeks or so if rest and rehab does the trick.

This much was clear: Peavy couldn’t hope to gut through a third consecutive start after his back stiffened up in between innings in each of his last two assignments.

“I saw it coming,” Peavy said. “The way my hip is, it’s causing my back to be out of alignment and to spasm, and it’s not letting go. The start in San Diego (on April 12), you saw the later the game went, the sharpness began to fall off. I’ve got to get it right. I’m not doing anybody any favors fighting through this thing.”

Peavy said his back first stiffened up April 1, when the team traveled from Arizona to San Francisco for the Bay Bridge exhibition games. He was scratched from the second start of the season in Arizona but was able to lobby his way out of the disabled list at that time.

Peavy said he battled health issues in Boston during the first half last season, when he went 1-9 with a 4.72 ERA before getting traded to the Giants. But he was able to get everything straightened out and catch a second wind.

“I figured it out, came here and helped us go on a run,” Peavy said. “I expect to come back healthy and be that guy.”

As for Susac, Bochy hinted that he would be used more extensively than a typical third catcher. Or even a second catcher.

“He’s a guy who will be in the mix,” said Bochy, who could look to play Buster Posey at first base more often in place of the slumping Brandon Belt – especially with the Dodgers set to throw left-handers Brett Anderson and Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Susac’s fingers are still blue after he was struck on the right hand by a foul tip of the bat of Roger Kieschnick last week, but he said the numbness has subsided and he’s able to grip both the ball and his bat with no issues.

Finally, if you haven’t seen probables for the Dodgers series, it’ll be Tim Lincecum vs. Anderson on Tuesday and Madison Bumgarner vs. Kershaw in a must-see matchup on Wednesday. The Giants likely will move up Heston to face right-hander Zack Greinke, a pitcher they have never beaten, on Thursday.

]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2015/04/18/giants-notes-peavy-disabled-list-susac-recalled-kershaw-bumgarner-matchup-awaits/feed/143Bonds transcript: The titles he missed, A-Rod, a passion for bikes, not helping during his career and much morehttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2014/03/10/bonds-transcript-the-titles-he-missed-a-passion-for-cycling-not-helping-during-his-career-and-much-more/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2014/03/10/bonds-transcript-the-titles-he-missed-a-passion-for-cycling-not-helping-during-his-career-and-much-more/#commentsMon, 10 Mar 2014 18:03:30 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/?p=15599Sweet photobomb, Javi! Barry Bonds walked in the door at 8:55 this morning. It wasn't long before he was back in front of cameras, showing a much different personality. "I was a different character when I was playing," he said.… Continue Reading →

Barry Bonds walked in the door at 8:55 this morning. It wasn't long before he was back in front of cameras, showing a much different personality. "I was a different character when I was playing," he said. "Now I've had time to slow down. We all do, as you're gone for a while you have a tendency to reflect on certain things. I needed that guy to play. I needed him. It was who I was, but it's not who I am no on a day-to-day basis. I'm the same person, just a different character. I'm more in the middle.

"I can still be crazy, but I've calmed down."

Here's my early story on Bonds returning to camp. Obviously, a lot of stuff didn't get into the story, so here are some highlights from his half-hour with reporters, with some stuff grouped together for clarity:

On being back in a Giants uniform: "It feels really good, it feels really good."

Why is he coaching? "I enjoy it. I had time to think about it and I enjoy it. I enjoy baseball, that's why I'm doing this."

On moving back to SF (he's in the city now): "It's my home, I love it. That's where I belong, in the city."

On coaching: "Not everybody is suited for the job and maybe I'm not either. I don't know if I am. I have seven days to find out if I am. I'll take what's in front of me. I don't have one philosophy, I don't have on strategy. Every person is built different. Every hitter is different."

On his critics: "I don't read the paper." (Hey, come on, man!)

What does he miss? "The day to day. I love to train and I love to work out. Baseball is every day and I enjoy that. I think I miss that a lot. The day to day grind, the waking up when you're tired and have to get through it."

On his career: "My time is over. And I enjoyed it."

On Alex Rodriguez likely not reaching his HR record: "God will bless somebody else for that, he always does. I would talk to Alex Rodriguez on a one-to-one basis, we're friends. I respect him as an athlete and always will, but I will not have a press conference about that."

On cycling: "I only do it for myself to stay in shape. I'm not good. I get gratification for me, but I get dropped (from the pack) a lot. I compete with myself, I will never compete competitively again. I did that ... I go 30-40-50 miles. They beat me really bad, but I still chase them. We ride together. I like to be competing."

On Biogenesis: "I don't want to get into that at all."

Did he think he would wear the uniform again? "I hoped so. You always hope so, but you don't know."

Will he manage? "I just want to get through seven days and see if I can do that first. I've got to get through these seven days first. I don't know if I'm good enough. Let me do this first ... This is all new to me on this side. I was accustomed to the other side. I’m going to take baby steps now and work on it as hard as I did when playing ... I think its too hard to be manager. I think what Bochy does is too hard for me, to be honest with you. You’ve got to have a level of patience."

His feelings in 2010 and 2012: "They did pretty good without me. They won two World Series championships ... I’m not jealous of them. I’m happy, it’s my town, my city, my family. I was almost in tears, I was that happy. It's something we’ve been wanting for a long time. We watch the 49ers now, it's like hurry up and win again!"

On working with Dexter Fowler: "Glenallen Hill called me and asked if I could talk to him. I didn't want to at first, I didn't have any desire at first. But Dexter gave me a call and asked if he could come out and talk. I said as long as you're willing to put in the work, I'll be there for you. It was a very good start for me. We have a good relationship. It's like I told him: I can't promise you anything, it takes time. It takes a lot of time. Hopefully I'll be here doing this a lot and won't have too much time."

On current players: "I love to watch Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols. Now I watch Buster Posey. I like his approach a lot. And I watch the team, the Giants. That's the only team that I really watch. I don't watch much baseball."

On Greg Maddux saying he was the toughest to face: "It says two minds speak the same. He was the best I've ever seen, the best. Ever. We both knew the same thing, so it made it more interesting. When two people are that good and know the same thing, it just makes the chess game a little longer."

On taking swings: "I hadn't touched a bat until Dexter came along."

Did he talk to Mays about helping? "We just talk about normal godson to godfather stuff: How you doing. I love, I miss you."

On the buzz of him being back: "I hope they feel excited. We can do a lot together. That’s what you hope. It was like me with Willie. You didn’t have to ask me to go pick Willie’s brain. I just did it. I probably didn’t get all the answers I wanted, but he made it challenging. He helped a lot. My dad helped a ton. I have this philosophy: two eyes are great, but four eyes are better if you have them. Utilize them, but it’ll be up to them."

On the Giants hitters: "I have to learn them. But that will never take me longer than a minute. All we have to do is go in the batting cage and I’ll tell you everything that is going on very fast."

On preparation for this: "That’s all you can do. I don’t read statistics, that doesn’t work. That’s like being in a boxing match and saying I’m going to win, but the other guy punches back, too."

Why didn't he help guys more during his career? "You’re not going to know anything I do when I’m playing. That’s not how it works. It was never personal. It’s like, why am I going to tell you something when you might wind up on the Rockies or something? It’s a business, and I treated it like a business. It was never to not socialize on that level with my teammates and I’ve seen a lot of players come and go."

]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2014/03/10/bonds-transcript-the-titles-he-missed-a-passion-for-cycling-not-helping-during-his-career-and-much-more/feed/96Bay Area News GroupBarry Bonds on returning to the Giants, the Hall of Fame, PEDs and much morehttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2014/03/10/barry-bonds-on-returning-to-the-giants-the-hall-of-fame-peds-and-much-more/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2014/03/10/barry-bonds-on-returning-to-the-giants-the-hall-of-fame-peds-and-much-more/#commentsMon, 10 Mar 2014 17:28:40 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/?p=15593Less than an hour after he walked back into Scottsdale Stadium, Barry Bonds returned to a seat that often had him squirming during his playing days. Bonds held a press conference that lasted just over 20 minutes, smiling throughout and… Continue Reading →

]]>Less than an hour after he walked back into Scottsdale Stadium, Barry Bonds returned to a seat that often had him squirming during his playing days.

Bonds held a press conference that lasted just over 20 minutes, smiling throughout and often patting manager Bruce Bochy on the leg. Bonds thanked Bochy profusely for allowing him to return to the organization as a special instructor.

“It feels really good to be back,” Bonds said. “It feels good to participate in this and give back to the game that I love. I’m going to have a lot of fun doing this.”

Monday was the first day of Bonds’ seven-day stint with the team. He will serve as a roving instructor, and on Day 1 he was scheduled to travel the back fields with former teammate Rich Aurilia, dispensing advice when, where and in any way he could.

On the big topics, though, Bonds isn’t here to teach. Bonds kept it light in a session with about 50 reporters and cameramen, shying away from controversial topics. He refused to discuss Alex Rodriguez’s PED issues but said the two are friends and talk often. When the subject turned to his own issues with performance-enhancers, Bonds quickly changed course.

“I already went to court and that’s where I’ll leave it,” he said. “Anything outside of that doesn’t need to be commented on.”

Asked if he should have returned to the Giants as a Hall of Famer, Bonds said “without a doubt.” But his message for the writers who have kept him out the past two years wasn’t a long one.

“You guys are all adults,” Bonds said. “I have no advice for you.”

This week, that will be saved for the hitters, young and old. Bonds said he hasn’t honed in on any one Giant that he intends to help. When he walked into the clubhouse, he had a short conversation with veteran Hunter Pence and then walked a line of rookies, shaking hands.

Introductions weren’t necessary. Players gawked at the legend, in part because he’s not all of what he used to be physically. A passion for cycling has caused Bonds to slim down in his post-playing days. A passion for the game led him to reach out to management at a charity luncheon over the offseason, and within weeks Bonds, who has moved back to San Francisco, was set to come to camp.

“We’re very excited and really looking forward to having Barry in camp,” Bochy said. “We have a great mind here that I know has so much to offer to us, whether it’s a veteran or a young player coming up. We’re all going to enjoy this week and use his knowledge.”

Bonds has not been affiliated with the Giants since 2007, his last season in the big leagues. He hit 28 homers that year and led the majors with a .480 on-base percentage, but Bonds never again took a big league at-bat.
He said he’s not sure if he was blackballed.

Bonds returns to a game that has tried to cleanse itself, albeit with mixed results. One of the best left fielders in baseball, Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, and the best Giants’ left fielder since Bonds, Melky Cabrera, have been suspended for PED use in the past two seasons. But both are back in a lineup, along with scores of others who have served their unpaid time away from the clubhouse.

In Washington, former teammate Matt Williams is the manager, despite being named in the Mitchell Report that detailed steroid use in baseball. In Los Angeles, Mark McGwire serves as a hitting coach, four years after publicly admitting that he used performance enhancers throughout his career.

Bonds broke McGwire’s home run record in 2001 and set the all-time mark of 762 in his final season. Many lesser sluggers have followed the same instructor path, but in this case, Bonds really does carry an asterisk, courtesy of the courts.

Bonds slipped back into orange and black as a convicted felon. In September, a federal appeals court upheld a conviction for obstruction of justice, stemming back to a grand jury investigation into BALCO. Bonds served a month of home confinement, and it’s no coincidence that his return to the Giants came only after he had put some of his legal issues in the past.

“The timing is better now for me,” Bonds said. “Back then, it just wasn’t right. Now the timing is just better. There’s a lot behind me now.”

Monday was the first step toward a second career. Bonds said he hopes to spend more time with the Giants down the line and Bochy left the door open for Bonds to be an in-season instructor this season if this week goes well.

Bonds said he is more nervous now than he was during his 22-season career.

“When I was playing, it was only my mind,” he said. “Now I’m trying to put that into other players. I’m more nervous about this, and I’d rather let them evaluate me and let Bochy evaluate and hopefully in the future something can come out of this.

]]>UPDATE: (8:48 p.m.) Baseball America reported that Wheeler signed for $3.3 million. We have no official word from the team, but there's no reason to dispute the report.

ANOTHER UPDATE: (8:57 p.m.) Bobby Evans texts "done." I assume he's talking about Wheeler, and not a nice French onion soup he's spent the past four hours whipping up.

The Giants have one hour, four minutes to reach an agreement with high school pitcher Zack Wheeler, the sixth overall pick in the draft. VP Bobby Evans has pledged to text an update. Once I receive something, I'll pass it along.

]]>POSTGAME NOTES: Rowand exits with strained hamstring, Reds beat Lincecain, J. Sanchez ready for Dodgers, etc.http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2009/08/09/postgame-notes-rowand-exits-with-strained-hamstring-j-sanchez-ready-for-dodgers-etc/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2009/08/09/postgame-notes-rowand-exits-with-strained-hamstring-j-sanchez-ready-for-dodgers-etc/#commentsSun, 09 Aug 2009 23:45:48 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/?p=1881Aaron Rowand felt a twinge in his left hamstring while running down a fly ball in the fifth inning, so trainers presented him with a choice. A) Exit now, get treatment and stand a good chance of being available Monday.… Continue Reading →

]]>Aaron Rowand felt a twinge in his left hamstring while running down a fly ball in the fifth inning, so trainers presented him with a choice.

A) Exit now, get treatment and stand a good chance of being available Monday.
B) Run the risk of blowing it out, which means an automatic trip to the disabled list.

Rowand usually chooses B. This time, he chose A. Gotta think he was influenced by the Dodgers coming to town.

Rowand made one of his best catches of the season in the fifth, laying out to catch Brandon Phillips' line drive to right-center field. he actually hurt his hamstring on the next play, when he called off left fielder Eugenio Velez while catching Joey Votto's fly ball.

--
It's a pretty big upset that the Reds were the team to break the Giants' home winning streak. It's even more of an upset that they won their two of three on days that Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain took the mound.

Lincecum took a no-decision. Cain took a loss.

No team has hung a loss on both Cain and Lincecum this season. Only one other team -- the Arizona Diamondbacks -- has managed to beat the Giants on days that Cain and Lincecum pitched.

Those losses really didn't reflect on the Giants' co-aces, though. On April 18 at AT&T Park, Lincecum held the Diamondbacks scoreless over eight innings but didn't get any run support and Jeremy Affeldt took the loss in a 2-0 game. And on April 26 at Chase Field, Cain allowed just a run in seven innings of an eventual 5-4, 12-inning loss.

So yeah, the Reds should feel pretty good about what they just accomplished.

--
Jonathan Sanchez gets the ball for the series opener. He'll oppose, Hiroki Kuroda -- not Jason Schmidt, whose career appears to be over.

Sanchez said he'd try to treat it like any other start. It's clear he's a different pitcher, though, than the last time he faced the Dodgers in May. He lasted five innings in each of his two starts against them, btu is much more efficient now. And confident, too.

"Ever since the no-hitter (on July 10), I'm throwing well and getting deep in the game," he said. "Hopefully, I can do it again and give the team a chance to win."

The Dodgers handle lefties pretty well. They were batting .291 against left-handers as opposed to .274 against right-handers.

--
At least the Giants are catching the Dodgers at a good time in the schedule. By the end of this upcoming series, the Dodgers will have played 20 games in 20 days.

Of course, the same was true of the Giants last week, when they played impressively while taking two of three in Houston.

--
As I write among the hooting of seagulls in the press box, lo and behold, there's Bill Neukom in sneakers and gym shorts, playing catch in the outfield with a clubhouse assistant.

Owners that play catch. Now that's the Giants Way.

--
The American Sociological Association is holding its annual meeting in downtown San Francisco this weekend. So if you're milling about Union Square, don't be surprised if you overhear a heated conversation about Emil Durkheim.

I think the Giants should have staged "Sociology Day" at the ballpark. The Reds could have worn their jerseys and the Giants could have worn commemorative ones that said "Capitalist Overlords."

Actually, the San Francisco Bourgeoisie has a nice ring to it.

--
Hat tip to Carl Steward and Laurence Miedema for their tremendous work while I took a few days off. They don't get paid one extra nickel for adding to this blog, posting the lineups, etc. (come to think of it, neither do I) and yet they kept the ball rolling better than Big Ern in "Kingpin." Thanks, gents.

Since you're probably a first-time visitor to this site, here's a brief introduction to what you can expect to find here:

Lineups: I'll post 'em as soon as they're tacked to the clubhouse bulletin board, which is usually before 4 p.m. for a West Coast night game. You should be able to find the lineup here first.

Three questions: I'll sit down with a visiting beat writer and ask them a few topical things about the teams they cover. Will try to do this at the beginning of every series.

Your questions! Send them to abaggarly@mercurynews.com. I'll do a mailbag once every two weeks and answer as many questions as I can. Also, if you have a question for a Giants player, serious or silly, please email it to me and I'll take the best ones straight to the source -- then post the answers in this space. Check the page tabs at the top of the blog for more info on this.

Minor leagues: As the Giants correspondent for Baseball America, I always keep close tabs on the farm system and will pass along frequent updates here. Also, if you've never visited the McCovey Chronicles blog, you can find Steve Shelby's daily minor league reports there. Highly recommended.

Everything else: Seems I do more cutting than writing to get copy to fit the print specifications for game stories and notebooks. The first things to go always seem to be the humorous little anecdotes that happen every day around a baseball team. Now that I have this outlet, I'll make sure the "good stuff" actually sees the light of day, and hopefully you will enjoy reading it!

]]>Welcome to Extra Baggs! I hope you'll stop here often during baseball season.

In addition to Giants news bulletins, statistical analysis, general baseball observations and the occasional rant about the commercial airline industry, I'll try to use this space to give you as many glimpses of clubhouse life as possible.

Like any workplace environment, a clubhouse is full of office politics, different personalities, designated pranksters and plenty of one-liners. All G-rated, of course.

And there's always the fun little random factoids that we're never quite able to wedge into the newspaper. So I'll use this space as a clearinghouse for some of those, too.

For instance, the Giants' team dentist is named Dr. Les Plack. Seriously.

So set your bookmarks, feed your RSS, make a new widget or whatever you kids do nowadays. But please visit often. Giants fans are always welcome here.